


Mikoshi

by spicydorito



Category: Cyberpunk 2077 (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Body Modification, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/F, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Resurrection, Slow Build, Slow Burn, if having your mind put into a new body counts as resurrection, is it really? we dont know what happens yet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-12
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-19 13:22:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29999988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spicydorito/pseuds/spicydorito
Summary: After signing on for the "Protect Your Soul" program with insistence from Takemura, V wakes up after two years in a body that is not her own.-don't worry, it'll stay uploaded this time-
Relationships: Hanako Arasaka/Female V
Comments: 1
Kudos: 26





	1. Chapter 1

Mikoshi is cold, dark, and nothing like V had imagined it. It's more akin to a deep sleep, something you can't wake up from. It's surprisingly peaceful, she thinks. Quiet, too. No cars driving down the streets of Night City, no distant gunshots from dark alleyways or old warehouses. There's no fear of death, no fear of pissing off the wrong people and ending up offed by a seven foot tall cyborg. It had almost happened to Johnny, and she was glad it wouldn't happen to her. He may not have approved of her choice to trust Arasaka, but that didn't matter to her. What mattered is that she would live, quietly and peacefully. She found herself often thinking of different ways she could've lived her life, ways that would bring her away from where she was now, as much as she liked it. She could've listened to her father more, for one, went to a nice school -or what passed for one-, gotten a nice and cozy corporate job instead of getting into fights with the other kids. That life didn't appeal to her, the streets calling her name more than anything.

 _V,_ they would say, _a life of excitement and danger waits for you!_ And it wasn't just them, either. When V was ready to put her feet up after botching a simple car theft, Jackie urged her onwards. There was more the city had to offer, he had told her. They could become fucking _legends_.

They were right, for a time. Then Jackie had died, and the streets became more hostile than she had initially thought. Then again, perhaps they had always been that hostile, and she just hadn't seen it. Rolling with Jackie had made her glorify the city, and eventually the rose tinted glasses came off. One thing had lead to another, the Heist, Johnny, Takemura, Hanako. V hadn't made many friends after Jackie died, only really having Viktor and Misty. And then Takemura came along, and when Johnny shouted at her to not trust him, she did anyway. He had saved her life, after all. How could she not? They were in the same boat, Takemura wanting vengeance against Yorinobu and V wanting to save her life, with Arasaka having the tech to do it. So they worked together, and when the time came, she saved his life in turn when Hanako's rescue team found them. Hanako, Hanako Arasaka. Beautiful, elegant, and in a completely different league than V. Not to mention, she had almost gotten Takemura killed. Not exactly the best first impression.

But she had trusted her anyway. Yorinobu was brought to heel, Arasaka placing Saburo in his body. Hanako had kept up her end of the bargain, stopping Yorinobu from running Arasaka into the ground in exchange for saving her life. All of this lead to the present, with V's consciousness floating peacefully in Mikoshi, waiting silently for the day she'd be brought back. She had already made her mental checklist of things to do once she got out. First, _fuck_ Night City. It had caused her too much pain, and it could do without her. She'd go to Japan and take up Takemura's offer to show her real food in Japan. It sounded nice, much nicer than Night City, and the N.U.S.A in general. Fucking America was a shit hole. Maybe she'd work for Arasaka, better than working for Fixers probably. But these were all mights and maybes, nothing definitive. After all, if she didn't have a body, she couldn't do much of anything.

But then again, Mikoshi was nice. Part of her wanted to stay here, sleeping quietly...

* * *

V's eyes open, a sharp gasp escaping her. Almost immediately, she notices something is off. Her eyes _opened_. She had _eyes_ , which meant... She looked down, seeing her torso, legs. She moved her arms weakly, flexing her fingers. She had a body, she had a fucking _body_. V tried to stand, but her legs failed her almost immediately. She fell hard onto the cold ground from her bed, greeted by a system message in her eyes.

_**WARNING: SEVERE TRAUMA DETECTED. ALERTING MEDICAL STAFF.** _

Severe trauma? What was that supposed to mean? She felt fine, more than fine. There was a dull pain in her head but that was all, she would get over it. Then, as if to insult her optimistic thinking, her head flared up in pain. It was like being shot again, except she wasn't dead, but it felt like she was. She fell on her side screaming, dark hair spilling over eyes. She had one more, brief, coherent thought, and that was that she didn't _have_ hair that dark. It was supposed to be light brown, not pitch black. Then she stopped thinking coherently, the pain taking front and center stage. She caught a glimpse of what looked to be doctors rushing in, felt arms and hands left her back onto her bed, jacking a cord into her neural port. The pain quickly subsided, but at the exchange of her consciousness slipping away again. Before she fell asleep, she saw someone rushing inside, not dressed like a doctor, followed by someone else... she could've sworn it was Takemura and Hanako Arasaka. But that couldn't be right... Takemura was in Japan, and Hanako had more important things to be doing than checking up on a street merc. They were probably just Arasaka officials, no one special.

So, she let sleep take her.

Later, much later, V's eyes opened again, and there was a dull pounding in the back of her head. She hissed and rubbed the back of her head, propping herself up on her other arm. She sat up slowly. "Fuck," she whispered. "What was...?"

She paused. Something else was off. She didn't sound like herself. Her voice was more rough yet soft, from years on the streets. Now, she sounded more... fuck, she couldn't place it. Asian, she guessed? Japanese. That was it. She sounded more Japanese. She brought her hand away from the back of her head to look at it, and she noticed something _else_ was off, as if her voice and hair weren't enough. Her usual pale pigment was gone, her skin only slightly darker than before, a sort of... tan? She looked out the window next to her, and quickly deduced it couldn't be a tan, as she was currently in space. The Arasaka logo was plastered on the window. So, she thought, she was back here again? Where she was placed into Mikoshi? Wonderful, just fantastic. She saw her reflection in the window, saw her dark eyes, medium length black hair. Her face had the same pigment as her hands. This wasn't her body, and yet, it felt like it had always been hers. She lifted her shirt, and saw all of her scars were gone. Every single last one. Her cyberware was gone too. She was all meat, no chrome. Also, in her reflection, was Takemura, kindly averting his eyes. He cleared his throat.

"V, if you would lower your shirt, please..."

V let go of the hem and let it fall back down her body. She turned to Takemura, eyes still wide with shock. "Takemura?" she asked, not quite believing it was him. He looked back over to her, nodding. A small smile appeared on his face. "Yes, V. It's me." She almost leapt out of the bed to hug her friend, until she realized that she still couldn't feel her legs. Something had fallen out of her head, too. A chip that was eerily similar to the one that housed Johnny Silverhand. She picked it up with shaking fingers, watching the light on it fade away until it was nothing but an empty chip. She held it up to Takemura, a million questions in her eyes, a more important one on her tongue. "Takemura," she said, her voice shaking. "What happened to me?" His smile fell away, but there was no look in his eyes that suggested there was anything wrong.

"You remember what I told you, before you were placed into Mikoshi?"

V wracked her brains, which probably weren't hers either. Her memories were foggy, but thankfully still her own. However, she couldn't remember what he was talking about. "Enlighten me."

He leaned forward, the same black suit he was wearing a few days ago crinkling. "I said to you, that you would eventually be given a new body. This was after you signed on to be placed into Mikoshi. Do you remember this?"

V pursed her lips, trying again to remember. She remembered... signing something, then she was put in Mikoshi. Had she really agreed to that? "It's... it's hazy, but sort of... weird, too. Feels like only a few days ago... You sure there wasn't a slip anywhere?"

Takemura's eyes darkened.

"V, it has not been a few days. You were in Mikoshi for-"

"-Two years."

V looked to the doorway to see Hanako standing in the doorway, a long black coat over a black dress. She sat herself down on the chair next to Takemura's, looking her dead in the eyes, as if to gauge her reaction. "You were in Mikoshi for two years, and it would have been longer, if not for your... donor."

"Donor? The fuck is that supposed to mean?!" Asked V, her temper starting to rise. Two years. How much had changed, how much had stayed the same? Did Viktor think she was dead? Did Misty? How much had she missed? Two years of her life in soul prison wasn't a very nice revelation. Hanako sighed, folding her legs and clasping her hands in her lap. Her expression hadn't changed whatsoever. "Your body is both not your own and still yours. It belonged to a dying woman in a clinic, in Kyoto. She would not live, and so we offered her the same process we offered you."

V leaned back again, pulling her legs up to her chest with great effort. Some of the feeling was starting to return, but not enough to move them without her arms. "I feel like there was a catch to it?"

Hanako smiled, much to V's surprise. "Wisely observed. There was, indeed, a catch."

"Which was?"

"We could have saved her life easily with Arasaka medical treatments, but her blood type just happened to match yours. This allowed us to take only two years to transfer your consciousness to a body, instead of many, many more. She is alive, in Mikoshi, and in time she will be given a new body. Just not anytime soon."

V sighed. Had someone really given her a body without knowing it? She wasn't a fan of the idea, but she wasn't dead, supposedly, and V was alive. She got her second chance, and she didn't intend to waste it.

"Okay, fine... I don't like it. but fine. What happens now?"

Hanako gestured to Takemura to speak as she leaned back into the chair. He handed her a tablet from behind him, emblazoned with the Arasaka logo and a whole lotta words. He gestured for her to read it. She began scrolling through it too quickly to actually read any of it. "From now on," he said, a professional look replacing his softer one. "You will serve Hanako-Sama as her bodyguard."

"Wait, wait wait wait, I thought the deal was 'save my life' for stopping Yorinobu?"

Hanako kept her smile, sending a small chill down V's spine. "And that deal was fulfilled on both ends. By removing the chip and placing you in Mikoshi, your life was saved. But, the body was not part of the deal. Consider service to me as payment."

V frowned. If this was her life now, was Mikoshi worth it? She chastised herself for thinking that,Â _of course_ it was worth it. She was alive, even if her body wasn't her own. There was no use in doubting her choices if she got to live. "Alright," she said, voice filled with caution. "I'll work for you, but before I do, are there any other catches I should know about?"

"None."


	2. Chapter 2

V spent the next two weeks regaining her motor functions, undoing several tests to determine her mental state, much like she had done before after the biochip had been removed from her head. The only difference this time is that they treated her with much more respect, either because word of her new 'position' within Arasaka had spread, or because she was under the watchful eye of Takemura. V couldn't tell which one it was, as they were careful of their attitudes towards her both with and without Takemura present.

It was both chilling and gratifying.

The tests themselves ranged from running on a treadmill to Rorschach tests. No weird questions or cube solving like last time. The more they continued, the more V became accustomed to her new body. It began to feel more and more like her own, until eventually, she couldn't tell the difference between this body or her old one without looking in a mirror. It was still jarring at times, seeing someone else's face and not the one she was born with. She eventually got used to that, too.

After the doctors and scientists were satisfied with their tests, next came combat training, her instructor being Takemura himself. And he didn't go easy on her just because they were friends. Punches hard enough to knock out an Animal, kicks hard enough to make her reel and almost hurl. This went on for weeks, for several hours a day. Grueling, painful, these words weren't even close to describing the hell of training with Goro Takemura. And in his words, it would continue until V could _"Land a blow hard enough to knock me out in turn."_

Oh, she landed plenty of punches, but none good enough to accomplish the goal set out for her. She began to think that this was a test of it's own, to see whether or not she could effectively guard Hanako without cyberware. If it was, she was failing miserably. That is, until her current sparring session with Takemura. She didn't know what had made her hit so hard. Maybe it was all the pent up stress, or maybe her body refusing take anymore punishment, going into overdrive? She had no idea. What she did know, however, was that she hit hard enough to knock him to the ground with blood flying from his mouth.

She looked at her hands in shock, then rushed Takemura. "Jesus christ, I'm so fucking sorry!" she shouted. Again, she had thought it was a test, and if she was going to fail, she had no intention of hurting her friend. Takemura groaned and sat up, and much to V's surprise, he laughed. "Do not apologize, V! That was good, very good! It is good that it hurt so much, and still does!"

V helped him to stand, lifting him up with her arm to her his feet. He rubbed his cheek and winced, still smiling. He gestured to V to follow him out of the sparring room and into another, laden with cyberware and modifications. She looked all around her, taking it all in. Some she recognized, some she didn't. "Goro, what's all this for, exactly?" God, she still wasn't used to this voice. He turned to her with more of a serious look in his eyes. "If you are to serve Hanako-Sama, you must be equipped adequately."

He waved his hand at the table behind him, which was covered in state of the art weaponry, mantis blades, you name it. There was every kind of implant she could think of and more. "I really only need kiroshis and a gun, all of this is..."

Takemura waited.

"I'll be honest, Goro, it's kinda unnecessary."

Takemura sighs and nods. The finest Arasaka has to offer was turned down, and yet, he should've expected it. V was never one to 'chrome out' as they say, preferring to rely mostly on herself and her gun. Her personal link neural port were necessary, but aside from kiroshis, she refused any kind of modification. "Of course, I apologize."

"Don't gotta apologize, Takemura."

V walks up to the table, picks out a gun to her liking. She already had kiroshis in this body. She held the pistol in her hands, turning it around and examining it. Something else crossed her mind.

"Hey, Goro?"

"Yes, V?"

"Whatever happened to Hanako's other body guard? Oda, right?"

His eyes fell and he almost let his shoulders slump, but he kept his posture. "Oda... fell ill. It is the other reason why you are now Hanako-Sama's bodyguard instead."

V pursed her lips.

"What happened?"

He waved his hand at her. "It is of no concern, what has happened was something you could not help. In his final days, he..."

V looked at him, his eyes filled with what must be very painful memories for him. "Hey, you don't have to tell me."

He ignored her and continued regardless. He needed to get this off his chest, having held it in for so long now. "He could not accept his defeat at your hands, back during the parade. His failure to protect Hanako-Sama drove him mad, and his insanity drove him to... lash out at others, you could say. I had to stop him." V watched as he heaved a heavy sigh, leaning against the modification table. Lying to someone like V wasn't easy, but it at wasn't a lie just yet. The guilt he felt drove him to. "I had to... take care of Oda. I have not seen him for what feels like forever." A lie, yes, but only partially. Was it a lie if he didn't specify what had happened completely? No, it was only a half truth. He would tell her eventually, but now is not the time, he told himself.

V frowned. "I'm sorry."

"It is as I said, it is of no concern. I will be fine." he said, putting on a smile. V was quick to change the subject, not wanting to linger on this subject for much longer. "So," she said, in a much more upbeat tone, "What's left? Any more tests, more training, or...?"

His smile became more genuine at the shift in topics, at V's concern for him.. "No, there is nothing left. Now that you are armed and able to move properly, you will return to earth tomorrow to meet Hanako-Sama."

"A meeting with my new boss this soon? Where even is she?"

"Tokyo. She is waiting with Saburo-Sama."

Great, she thought to herself. Hanako was one thing, but of the few interactions V had with her father, she could tell the head of the Arasaka family wasn't particularly fond of her. She couldn't really blame him, since she had tried to steal his property, even though his son had stolen it first. Takemura could tell she was disconcerted at the thought of meeting Saburo, and tried his best to dissuade her concern. "Do not worry, I will be accompanying you to meet them. You will not be alone."

Some of the tension left V's shoulders, but she was still understandably concerned. She didn't have high hopes for a civil meeting.


	3. Chapter 3

Turns out Japan wasn't so different from Night City. The same high rise, neon lit buildings and the same, trashy slums at ground level. Fancy and old cars, homelessness, you name it. V couldn't see much difference, and it visibly upset her. She had thought that Arasaka would at least take better care of the country they started in, and was disappointed to see how wrong she had been proven. And while she couldn't deny Japan's beauty, especially Tokyo, it was just a fad. A thick cover to a much larger problem that she had all but grown up in. Takemura noticed her distaste as they approached the Arasaka family palace by escort, and had a very different opinion than her. He had grown up in poverty as well, but Arasaka tried it's best to provide for the people of it's homeland. The reality of it was as such, the poverty being due in no small part to security, in his own eyes. Millitech, what many consider to be Arasaka's rival (and rightfully so), would take the chance to invade if Arasaka diverted funds to civilian relief instead of defense. He knew that, in time, V would come to see this as an acceptable reason, and if not, it would be fine. Her charge would be the daughter of the Emperor, not the people. She would eventually come around, one way or the other.

As the palace came into view, V received a view like none other she had seen. Aside from the various turrets and gun emplacements for security, the palace was like that of those seen in some of the paintings in Konpeki Plaza two years ago. It was simple and surprisingly beautiful, and to say she was awestruck would be a vast understatement. Takemura chuckled at her reaction to the palace. "This place is old," he said, a hint of reverence in his voice. "much older than even Arasaka itself." V looked at him, disbelief in her eyes. "No way anything that old still exists, right?" Takemura shook his head, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Compared to her earlier distaste to the current state of Japan, she had taken a one - eighty in her mood.

"You are looking at one such place."

V simply nodded, at a loss for words. The car they were in came to a stop just inside the main gate, the door opening upwards. They were met with a contingency of servants, bowing before Takemura, addressing him respectfully. They paid no attention to V, like she didn't even exist. She paid it no mind, instead giving her attention to her surroundings as she followed Takemura, who was following the servants. The servants went their own separate ways at the insistence of Takemura once they got inside, and V hadn't even noticed. She was now even more captivated by the palace, the inside feeling so... regal. Something befitting of royalty. She would have gladly stared all day if not for Takemura dragging her back to reality. He was still amused at her childlike wonder, but there were more important matters at hand.

"While your... respect for the palace architecture is appreciated, V... there is still the matter of proper clothing."

She looked at Takemura, still wearing the same black suit and red tie he'd worn at the space station, then back to herself, still in the same pajamas she'd woken up in, the only difference being a pair of tacky tennis shoes. "Oh..."

She just now noticed how out of place she was, new body set aside. Everyone besides her had extravagant clothes befitting their positions, even the servants that had just left them alone. She smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. "Any chance I can get something fancy?"

"It will be taken care of."

V swings towards the sound of the voice that had, though inadvertently, ruined her old life. Yorinobu, or at least his body, stood before her with Hanako at his side. Takemura immediately bowed, switching from an amused expression to one that was deadly serious. There was no introduction needed, not for them. Hanako Arasaka, and her father saburo, the Emperor himself. Saburo approached both V and Takemura, eyeing them over thoroughly. V took the initiative to bow as well, notout of respect, but out of fear. The most powerful man on the planet was currently staring right at her, if not through her, sizing her up. It wouldn't be hard for someone like Saburo to recognize who she actually was, considering they were both with a new body. Saburo hummed, and when he spoke, it came out in his son's voice, something she suspected she may never grow used to.

"So this is the one who will protect my daughter?"

He asked this in a critical, almost scrutinizing way. V couldn't blame him, considering what Takemura had told her about Oda. She had only ever seen the man a few times, once before he was killed, and twice as a hologram, though he had still been very real. She briefly looked up and saw a look of what she could only assume to be discomfort on Hanako's face, probably because of the 'protect my daughter' line. She probably wasn't used to her father speaking through her brother's body either. If Takemura felt the same way, he didn't let it show. She heard him walk around her slowly, making his way back in front of her. She knew from his attitude that he recognized her, or at least had a suspicion of who she was.

"She will do. You may face me."

V stood up straight. Saburo dismissed Takemura, leaving but not before giving V a quick look of encouragement. She mentally thanked him before properly facing Saburo and Hanako. Saburo was dressed in a black robe, Hanako in the white dress she wore two years ago, showing off her partially gold arms. Saburo, however, being the overwhelming presence he was, commanded all her attention over Hanako. It felt like he was dissecting her piece by piece. The silence was deafening, and she felt she was going insane from it. "I would know the name of who is to guard my daughter. Speak it." He said it with an authority she'd never heard from anyone in her life. Because of his tone, V knew now that Saburo had recognized her, despite her new body. He wanted to hear it from her regardless.

"I... My name is V, Your Majesty."

It was at this time Hanako chose to speak up, the atmosphere in the entrance hall having become too oppressive, even for her. "Father, I do not think this is necessary!" she said, her voice barely above a whisper. Saburo held up his hand, gesturing for silence. "You say she is suitable for the job. I wish to ascertain this for myself."

And so, despite probably knowing all of it already, Saburo began to bombard her with questions. Her background, her mindset, her combat ability, and more. All of this was questioned thoroughly. Her paced back and forth across from V, never once breaking eye contact with her. This continued until his very last questions."

"Are you the same V who stole the relic two years ago? The same person who helped to put me back at the head by joining forces with my daughter?"

There was no point in lying. V nodded. Saburo walked up to her until there was barely any space left between them, his gaze that of a predator's.

"Do not disappoint me. Protect Hanako, even at the cost of your own life." he whispered. He turned around and walked over to Hanako, speaking loud enough for them both to hear. "She will need proper attire. She is your bodyguard, see to it."

Hanako nodded and watched as for her left the room. When he did, she sighed heavily and her body fell lax. V didn't even know she had tensed up, but now that she did, it was telling. Hanako had grown scared of her own father. A good two years of her life were spent in Mikoshi, so naturally she had no idea of a majority of events that had transpired, and wondered briefly what had happened to cause this. The last time she'd seen them both, Hanako appeared to be very much in favor of her father. It was her turn now to approach V, her usual demeaner replaced with one that showed weakness, something she'd never expect from an Arasaka. When she looked at her, some of the fear was gone.

"I suppose we must find you the proper attire. Follow me, if you would."

So V followed her. She followed her through grandiose halls and into an overly large walk in closet, filled with all the clothes could imagine. Hanako turned to her and held her arms out beside her, back to her usual self. "We will be here awhile, so while he choose your new attire, we must go over one more thing."

V quickly glanced around her at all the clothes, then back to Hanako. "Which is?"

Hanako smiled. "The matter of your name. Only three within Arasaka know of who you actually are, being Takemura, my father, and myself. The rest see you as... a terrorist, if you will."

V absentmindedly rubbed her arm. "Yeah, I guess I did some pretty shitty things."

"That is putting it lightly. As for your name... how does Akemi sound?"

How it sounded? In truth, she had no idea. All her life, she'd gone by V. Only her parents knew her real name, and they were long dead. She'd gone by that single letter for so long she had even forgotten her own name, and to have a new one, well... the idea wasn't exactly bad.

"Do I get a last name?"

Hanako, much to V's surprise, chuckled. It didn't sound intimidating, hollow, or empty. It was a genuine laugh, and that was what freaked her out a little.

"If you want one."

"I do."

"Then..."

V waited. She had to admit that taking on a new name right before picking new clothes made her feel like a child, but she was sure, or at least hoped, that it wasn't what Hanako was going for. It felt odd, but in it's own little way, it also felt nice.

"How does Hanae sound?"

Hanae. Just like the first name, she had no idea what it meant. She knew Japanese names held some meaning behind them, but that was as far as her knowledge on the subject went. Not like she needed to know what they meant anyway.

"It... it sounds nice."

Hanako nodded, seemingly pleased with herself. "Very well. From henceforth, your name is no longer V. It is time to choose your attire, Akemi."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In Japanese, Akemi roughly translates to (Ake) meaning bright, and (mi) meaning beautiful. Hanae roughly translates to flower. Why did Hanako choose these names for V? You'll find it in due time!


End file.
